The Amazing Adventures of Maddie Parker
by Bluefish591
Summary: Deadly Quidditch, aggressive trees and general Marauder mayhem - sounds like another regular year at Hogwarts. Join Maddie in her sixth year, as she discovers things she's not supposed to know, realises there's a lot more she should know, and continues to fail at potions.


**In which I almost see a maiming, and potions are remediated**

Tossing a clump of knotgrass into my cauldron, I thought, not for the first time this evening, that there were probably better things I could be doing with my time. Unfortunately for me, remedial potions was not high on that list. The fact that I was 95% certain that Professor Slughorn had dozed off was not helping my concentration, the lack of which was the reason I was in here in the first place. My mind has a bad habit of wandering, particularly in potions, which leads to my brews not really doing what they're supposed to, sometimes with rather spectacular results (showering Mulciber with something akin to green snot was a high point of my fifth year). My latest lapse of concentration had resulted in the incineration of a whole desk, and for that even the usually-lenient Slughorn had had to draw the line. So while my friends were relaxing tucked up by the fire in the Gryffindor common room, I was stuck here. In fact, it was getting so late they were all probably asleep by now.

"3 times clockwise, 5 times anticlockwise…" I mumbled to myself, stirring the cauldron half-heartedly and wishing I was anywhere else. Slughorn let out a particularly loud snore, and I looked at him with envy. Maybe he wouldn't notice if I just sidled out quietly.

Pausing in my machinations to check the instruction book (something I only did once in a blue moon), I realised I was almost at the end of the recipe. "Wave your wand" was the last instruction, and I did so with a flourish, nearly sending the cauldron (and all my slaved-over potion) soaring across the room. I really need to pay more attention sometimes. Or so people tell me.

"Finally!" I huffed, quickly cramming my stuff into my schoolbag. I was just thinking along the lines of leaving the potion on Slughorn's desk and skiddadling before he woke up, when a shuffling sound from the door made me start. Whirling around, I saw the faces of James Potter and Sirius Black peering around the half-closed door.

"Remedial potions, Parker? Can't say I'm surprised", jeered Black, and I was actually semi impressed he managed to sound so distainful while whispering. I realised they were probably trying to sneak up on Slughorn while asleep, and naturally replied in a painfully loud voice

"I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T QUITE CATCH THAT BLACK"

They cringed immediately, but unfortunately Slughorn merely shifted slightly in his chair. James turned around to glare at Black in a way that said "don't antagonise her", and they both started creeping into the room. I looked between them. Clearly they were up to something, and I was quite glad I wasn't going to stick around to find out what. Hoisting my bag further up on my shoulder, and mentally thanking Dumbledore for the fact that I wasn't a prefect and therefore could not be held responsible for whatever was going to happen after I left, I made for the door. They let me pass without comment, too busy watching Slughorn for signs of conciousness. It was only when I was almost out the door that I heard Black say quietly "I think we should change plans…".

Deciding that sounded slightly ominous, I quickened my pace and headed for the common room, with ideas of maybe begging my friend Mary for a quick scan of her Defense Against the Dark Arts essay due tomorrow. It was really late though, and I was somewhat doubtful she (or any of my friends) would be awake when I got there. This could be better though – I could just steal it and put it back and she'd never know. Honestly, with this level of cunning, I should be in Slytherin. Wheezing slightly as I finally reached the 7th floor, I paused to look out one of the many windows onto the grounds (and catch my breath – having a common room in a tower really does test your fitness). I had always thought of Hogwarts as the most magical place in the world, and it never looked more so than at night. The stars were like beads, and the full moon hung glowing against the black sky. I looked down at the grounds, at the Forbidden Forrest (where I had spent many surprisingly fun detentions with Hagrid), and across to Quidditch pitch where I could just about make out the scoring hoops. Closer to the castle, I stared down at the fairly new addition the grounds, the affectionately-named "Whomping Willow", wondering why on earth someone as wise as Dumbledore would put such an aggressive plant on the grounds of a school (probably to complement the dangers of the Forbidden Forrest). Why couldn't it just be a nice old oak that _didn't_ try to take your eye out whenever you got near it. I was just turning to go when I caught sight of movement near the tree in question. Admittedly slightly intrigued by the prospect of watching some poor animal get bludgeoned to death by a tree, I lingered to watch. That was when I realised that it wasn't an animal – it was a person. Two people, actually. One of them I recognised immediately – Madame Pomfrey's white nurse robes glowed in the moonlight, and she carried a stick with her. Maybe I was about to witness a caning. The other person was hunched over, but in an instant it raised it's head to look at the tree, and I was able to recognise him. Remus Lupin. Spellbound, I watched as both stopped out of armsreach (limbsreach? treereach? whatever) of the Whomping Willow, and Madame Pomfrey stuck out her stick and started to prod around in the roots of the tree. She was gonna get smacked, I was certain of it, the Willow's branches were swaying in a way that I had learned all too painfully meant damage was coming. But then they froze. Madame Pomfrey withdrew her proding stick and walked forward with Lupin, who seemed to be staggering. They descended into the ground at the base of the tree, as if going down a slope, and disappeared from my sight. Shaking my head in disbelief, and deciding that maybe the fumes in the potions class had disturbed my brain, I stumbled along the corridor to the Gryffindor common room, my mind filled with questions.


End file.
